The Rematch
by Emi-Chan1
Summary: Remember in '29' when Declan, Peggy, and Miranda were sitting around, wishing they had something to do and Declan suggested bowling? That and the hilarious Declan/Peggy bowling match in 'Spirit Junction' is the basis for this fic.


Leave it to me to make a Declan/Peggy fic that takes place right in the middle of the whole Emma thing :)  
  
~*^*~  
  
"... so when can you come in? Tomorrow?" Peggy walked into Declan's office while he was on the phone. "Wednesday ... all right. How long d'you think it'll take? ... Okay ... yeah ... okay ... goodbye."  
  
Declan looked up at Peggy. "Hey, Peg! How're you?" he asked.  
  
Peggy opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by the phone ringing.  
  
"Just one second." Declan said to Peggy as he picked up the phone. "Hello? ... Oh, hi, Emma!"  
  
Peggy's eyes cast down to the floor as she busied herself with clearing away a place to sit on Declan's cluttered couch.  
  
"Oh, really? ... No ... no I understand. That's okay.... Yeah, see you later. Bye."  
  
Declan hung up the phone and Peggy raised her eyebrows at him. He blushed slightly. "I was going to ... take Emma out for coffee, but she was ... she had to ... work. Last minute thing, you know."  
  
"So you're stuck here doing nothing?" Peggy asked.  
  
"Yeah, basically."  
  
There was a short silence.  
  
"We could go bowling ..." Declan suggested.  
  
Peggy gave him an amused expression. "Are you sure you want to go bowling?"  
  
"Yeah," Declan said, "Why not?"  
  
"You know what happened last time." Peggy said airily.  
  
"I've been practicing." came Declan's proud response.  
  
"Really?" Peggy's amused expression persisted.  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"We'll just have to see about that."  
  
~*^*~  
  
Peggy sat at the table sipping her pop and observing Declan knocking over two pins. She couldn't help but chuckle to herself. He really tried, didn't he?  
  
"Just warming up." Declan said as he waited for his bowling ball to come back so he could try again.  
  
Peggy watched as Declan picked up his bowling ball for the second time and threw it clumsily down the lane. This time it went right through the gap that had been made by the other two pins falling.  
  
Peggy just had to laugh at this.  
  
"Hey!" Declan said, sounding a little hurt, "It takes talent to do that!" he said, gesturing to the pins on the other side of the lane.  
  
"Sure." Peggy said as she walked confidently up to the lane, picked up her own ball, and counted off her steps ... one, two, three, and go! It worked every time.  
  
"How exactly do you *do* that?" Declan asked, half out of jealousy and half out of curiosity.  
  
Peggy turned toward him. "You really want to know?"  
  
"Well ... yeah ..."  
  
"All right." Peggy said, "Take your turn first so I can show you."  
  
"Okay." Declan said as he turned to pick up his ball and once again throw it clumsily down the lane. This time he knocked down four pins and turned to Peggy triumphantly.  
  
Peggy rolled her eyes. "That was just luck."  
  
"Yeah, I know." Declan said with a smile, "It's always luck with me."  
  
"Good point." Peggy said, "You might want to get your ball." She pointed to Declan's bowling ball which had just come back.  
  
Declan walked up to the lane, but unfortunately walked a little too far. He slid on the lane's slippery surface and landed very roughly on his bottom.  
  
"OUCH!" he yelled as his ball slipped out of his fingers and traveled down the lane by way of the gutter.  
  
"Are you all right?" Peggy asked as she rushed over to help Declan up.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Declan replied, accepting Peggy's hand. He got up with much effort and almost slipped again before making it back off of the friction-less lane.  
  
~*^*~  
  
"No, Declan, you're controlling your arm too much." Peggy said as Declan shot yet another gutterball. "You just have to let it swing back, then swing forward and release it." While speaking, Peggy demonstrated her point by swing her own right hand.  
  
"Okay ..." Declan said, taking a deep breath, then letting it out. "Okay, I can do this." He picked up his ball and stood a few paces back from the lane. He stepped forward rhythmically and was sure to let his arm 'swing back, then swing forward' as Peggy had taught him.  
  
The ball sailed straight down the middle of the lane and hit the first pin head-on. Unfortunately, the result was a 7-10 split.  
  
Declan let out a loud and exasperated sigh.  
  
"You're doing better!" Peggy said encouragingly. "It's my turn now." She stood up, picked up her ball, and effortlessly knocked all of the pins down ... once again.  
  
"Hey, Peg?" Declan asked as Peggy walked back to her seat triumphantly.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"How'd you learn to bowl so well?" He had asked her this question before ... just after they had bowled together the first time. She had ignored it.  
  
The triumphant look on Peggy's face wore away and was replaced by a sad, far-off expression. After a long pause, she finally said, "My father taught me." Along with the sadness, there was a slight edge to her voice ... a tinge of anger.  
  
"Oh." Declan said shortly, not wanting to push the subject any further. He quickly got up and picked up his ball to take his last turn, but his concentration was off and he threw two more gutterballs.  
  
~*^*~  
  
The ride to the hospital was painfully silent. For a moment at the bowling alley, they had almost forgotten about everything that was going on, but the moment Peggy's father was mentioned, reality came crashing down once more. Awkwardness had once again gained control.  
  
Declan had realized that his relationship with Emma would make things strange between himself and Peggy, but it hadn't really hit him until now.  
  
He looked over at Peggy. Had he given up on her? It had seemed too good to be true at first ... a coincidence he had never dreamed of. Who would have thought he would meet her again, after all this time? But sometimes what seems to be glaring at you in bright neon lights isn't what's meant to be ... or is it?  
  
Declan was confused, but he couldn't tell Peggy about it. At this point, he couldn't even get by with small talk.  
  
He pulled his truck in front of the hospital and let Peggy off, saying a quick, "Bye." He didn't meet her eyes ... he couldn't. He just stared at the road in front of him.  
  
When he heard the familiar metalic clang of his door closing, he chanced a look toward Peggy as she retreated into the hopistal.  
  
Then he drove home.  
  
  
Okay, so the ending's a bit sad, but I couldn't do anything really romantic because it's right in the middle of the whole Emma thing, so I had to make it possible for the events of 'Love is Divine' to make sense after this fic, you know what I mean? 


End file.
